I think the issues involving the leadership and material condition of the school are not going to be solved here. We can talk about them, but aren’t going to solve them here. They are also the type of issues that even if the administration is addressing as fast as the typical machinations of the federal government allows, most current M/N aren’t going to see much difference in during their school careers. Those are the type of issues that a M/N really has no control over and that is when I give my “suffer through it” speech.
So where CAN we have an impact on morale? It is those areas that grant that occasional decompression, although I would suggest the need is frequent and not just occasional. I never really felt like we were suffering from a lack of recreational activities. Aside from those already mentioned here we made frequent use of the pools, racquetball courts, gymnasium, bowling alley, waterfront, spirit missions, running through Kings Point Park and trips to NYC as part of the “culture club” I think it was called and free admission to Mets and Yankee games. When you add in other extracurriculars like student government, Hear This, MIDSHIPS, social clubs, intramural sports, team sports and regimental type activities there really is no end of things to do. We were only limited by our imaginations and desire to get off the proverbial couch.
Lastly … Why are we having this conversation with the administration via parents? Where are the current M/N? They are the biggest stakeholders in this since it is after all their sanity (both individual and collective) at stake. Are any of them here? Let’s hear what they have to say. I am always happy to share my thoughts and experiences with them, that is how I choose to give back. As I’ve said to a couple people who have PMed me here … my door is always open.
KP is woefully lacking in recreation compared to ALL the other service academies. The administration happens to rely quite a bit on the PA's. Then M/N in many cases do approach the admin with ideas. There is nothing wrong with PA help, especially given the tight budgets!